■ Return in Glory □
Clank! Clank!
It’s already the third day since we left the capital.
As the carriage entered the countryside, the unpaved roads made the interior of the carriage shake violently.
Even though it was supposedly the best carriage made by the top shop in the capital, it seemed powerless against the gravel fields.
As the carriage continued to rattle, Dorothea frowned and asked,
“Hey, Caldlasth, don’t you have a better solution?”
“Just wait a moment.”
I immediately used magic to create air cushions under everyone’s seats.
With this, even if the carriage shakes, there’s nothing to worry about.
Only now seeming more comfortable, Dorothea stopped grumbling, and peace returned to the carriage.
While everyone was chatting, Ozma, who had been silently gazing out the window alone, said,
“The scenery is beautiful.”
Hearing that, I shrugged.
“Well, this area hasn’t been developed at all, so it’s only natural.”
About 300 years ago, the Oz Kingdom started as a city-state. Except for the capital, most of its territory remains underdeveloped even now.
This is partly due to frequent conflicts with the Demon Tribe, but also because most of the nation’s talent and technology are concentrated in the capital, leading to severe polarization between rural and urban areas.
Perhaps for that reason, the further we got from the capital, the harder it became to find traces of civilization.
While the capital enjoys a near-industrial revolution lifestyle thanks to magical engineering, the countryside still has a strong medieval feel.
At that moment, Barnett’s voice came from outside the carriage.
“Caldlasth! We’re almost there!”
“Is that so?”
Hearing that, I leaned out of the carriage window slightly.
A cool breeze brushed past my face, and soon enough, the expansive meadow stretched before us, with a quaint rural village at its edge.
Seeing the iconic windmill of the village, I finally felt like I was truly returning home.
Since leaving Shubrin at the age of 15 with Master, I must not have come back more than five times.
Though I regularly sent money along with letters to my father, I couldn’t visit due to being too busy with work.
Heeheeheehee!
Finally, after driving nonstop for three days and nights, the carriage stopped at the entrance of the village.
I quickly opened the carriage door and stepped out.
“Ugh…”
My body felt stiff, likely a reaction to sitting for too long.
The others also disembarked from the carriage and began stretching in their own ways.
Approaching Barnett, who was seated on the driver’s seat, I said,
“You’ve worked hard alone. Even if you’re undead, you must feel some mental fatigue.”
Barnett shook her brown hair and replied,
“I’m fine. This kind of forced march is nothing to me. Rather, I’m more worried about your human body.”
Receiving her concerned gaze, I flexed my arm muscles.
“I’m fine too, except for the stiffness.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Barnett smiled brightly.
Seriously, whose traits did she inherit to be this pretty?
After patting her head appreciatively, I offered to take her place on the driver’s seat.
However, Barnett refused to give up her position, and as a result, we argued briefly over who would drive the carriage.
Eventually, we compromised and decided to sit together.
Anyway, since we were close to the village, we agreed that those who wanted to walk could do so, while others could ride in the carriage.
Dorothea, seemingly lazy to walk, climbed back into the carriage, whereas Ozma, Camilla, and Sophia chose to walk.
Dorothea, who used to at least pretend to respect Ozma, has now become completely imperious.
Keeping pace with the walking group, we drove the carriage slowly. In the distance, a guard standing watch was visible.
It was probably the neighborhood watch team organized by the village youth association taking turns guarding the area. Spotting us approaching from afar, he raised his hand.
“Halt! Halt!”
We stopped, and the young man, who looked around twenty, hesitated momentarily when he saw our group.
“Erm… Where are you coming from?”
His red face suggested he was smitten by the beauty of the women in our group.
Well, none of them are ugly anywhere they go.
Leaping off the carriage, I said,
“We’re from the capital. This is my hometown.”
The young man stared at me in surprise.
“This village is your hometown?”
“Yeah, I left fifteen years ago and haven’t visited much due to being busy.”
I shrugged and mentioned my father’s name, which I hadn’t called in quite a while.
“Isn’t there an elder named Schnaizel living alone in the village?”
The young man’s eyes widened in shock.
“The richest man in the village, Mr. Schnaizel? So you’re the son who’s supposedly done incredibly well in the capital!”
Now we’re finally getting somewhere.
It would’ve been better if he hadn’t called me “uncle,” though.
The young neighborhood watch member let us pass, saying we should hurry inside.
“How are these people related to you?”
Since he seemed suspicious, I clarified upfront,
“They’re my wives. If anyone else asks you, tell them the same.”
The young man looked perplexed.
“All five of them?”
“All of them.”
“…You’re talented.”
“I hear that often.”
Probably only someone like me, who ascended to the 7th tier and became superhuman, could handle the excessive libido of these four women.
Recently, Sophia joined the group, and we’ve been rotating through them one by one from Monday to Friday.
Maybe someday I’ll cover all seven days of the week.
I patted the young man’s shoulder lightly, as if to snap him out of his dream, then crossed the fence entering the village.
The familiar scenery felt nostalgic, evoking a sense of déjà vu wherever I looked.
It finally felt like I was truly back home.
My hometown, Shubrin, is a small village with fewer than 200 households combined.
Most villagers engage in agriculture and mostly practice self-sufficiency within the village.
The biggest store in the village isn’t even comparable to the sundry shops in the capital, but it’s known locally as the general store.
And I lived here with my father alone.
My mother in this life passed away young from childbed fever after giving birth to me, likely due to unsanitary conditions during childbirth.
By the time I regained my memories from my previous life, it had been a long while since she passed, and there was nothing I could do.
In any case, my father, who was just an ordinary farmer, raised me with help from the community, and at the age of fifteen, I caught the eye of a passing Master and became a mage.
Looking back now, it was pure luck.
It’s rare for someone as high-ranking as the master of the Emerald Tower to visit such a remote rural area.
Had I not met Master back then, I might have ended up marrying my childhood friend and farming for the rest of my life.
Lost in such hypothetical musings, I followed old memories to find my family home.
“Hmm?”
Something feels different from what I remember.
I was sure our house was here, but instead, there stood a two-story house I’d never seen before.
Confused, I glanced around and stopped a passing child to ask,
“Hey, kid, is this Schnaizel uncle’s house?”
The child looked at me incredulously.
“Are you from out of town, uncle?”
Another “uncle.”
I tried to smile despite feeling irritated.
“I’m originally from this village, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been back.”
“Even so, how could you not recognize the house of Schnaizel, the richest man in the village?”
Hearing this, I was certain this was indeed my home.
But richest in the village? I regularly sent money for my father’s use, but I don’t recall him indulging in such luxury.
While pondering this, the door of the presumed family home opened.
Thinking it was a perfect opportunity, I intended to confirm directly with my father.
However, instead of my father, a young woman I didn’t recognize stepped out.
“?????”
What on earth is going on?
Confused, I glanced back at the child, but the child greeted the young woman with familiarity.
“Hello! Mrs. Schnaizel!”
The young woman responded cheerfully, “Oh, what a cute little gentleman.”
Through their exchange, I realized something shocking:
While I was working tirelessly in the capital, my father had remarried without informing me.
